Murazel
}} Murazel is a Priest in Might & Magic: Heroes VII. She is an ancient and wise angel known among her own kind and in the Holy Falcon Empire as a renegade. She has returned from her exile to aid Duke Ivan and restore the empire. Biography Many times, Murazel had to make sure the Shantiris’ powerful secrets did not fall into irresponsible and greedy hands. She always tried not to disturb the balance of power and intervened only as a judge and advisor. That is, until she broke her vow of neutrality and stood up to the armies of Kyla Falcon. Following this incident, Murazel became officially unwelcomed not only in the Empire, but also among Angels. Conclave of The New Dawn When she was invited by Archangel Sandalphon to join the Conclave of the New Dawn, she knew her reputation of uncompromising honesty would serve to appease the suspicion of the Humans, still wary of Angels since Uriel’s Deception. For the same reasons, not all the members of the Conclave received her arrival warmly. And her sudden disappearance after Sandalphon’s assassination made her look even more suspicious to some, but she had reasons to flee. Engulfed again in a world of lies, treachery and murder, Murazel quickly found herself deeply engaged in the protection of the weak and the restoration of the Holy Empire, as long as it didn't repeat the mistakes of the past. To achieve that, she needs a worthy man to rule it, and she has selected Ivan as the best-suited candidate. Murazel still has many friends and allies among both Humans and Angels, and has been working to convince the reformist factions within the Church of Light to side with Ivan against Seamus of Stag. Ten Years War Murazel returned to the Holy Falcon Empire to bring important news to Duke Ivan and him alone. At the abbey of Skarena, she wasn't alone. Accompanied with the Elven Druid turned Dragon Knight, Tieru, they informed him of what was at stake and the truth of Sandalphon's death. Within the Hidden Houses, the elusive hideouts of the Dragon knights, Murazel informed Ivan that as it turns out, Tieru was not meeting Ivan as an envoy from Irollan, the Elven realm, but as a member of the Dragon Knights, that elusive group dedicated to preserve Ashan's balance between Order and Chaos. While the Dragon Knights had no intent on getting involved with a civil war, they had a particular interest in the survival of the line of Falcon. Sar-Elam's prophecy made clear that the end of the Falcon bloodline would tip the balance in favour of Chaos, which was not something the Dragon Knights could allow. Which is why they had offered Murazel shelter when she fled Flammschrein. Because Murazel had not fled Flammschrein alone. She was trying to put Brendan Falcon out of harm's way. Five years earlier, a boy had been brought to the Conclave of the New Dawn. A hunter had found him in a forest not far from the ruins of Falcon's Reach, living like a beast among the animals. The hunter had brought the boy to Flammschrein, where Murazel and Sandalphon had been able to ascertain he was, indeed, Brendan Falcon. But there were... complications, and because of those, Murazel and Sandalphon decided it was better to wait before revealing the survival of the Falcon heir to the rest of the Conclave. Someone must have discovered their secret, though, as one night, a group of assassins sneaked in the citadel of Flammschrein, intent on killing the boy. According to Murazel, these assassins were Dark Elves, but Tieru was adamant not to accuse the whole of Ygg-Chall without proof -- a mistake he had himself committed in the past. Murazel's descriptions of the assailants had led Tieru to believe they were part of a group of assassins-for-hire calling themselves the Blades of Erebos, after the great Faceless tactician and assassin of the Elder Wars. Sandalphon tried to protect Brendan, but the Blades proved well-versed in the art of fighting Angels, an art they had reputedly learnt from their legendary founder. Knowing she would be no match for Sandalphon's killers, Murazel did the only thing she could think of -- she grabbed the boy and took off in a flutter of golden wings, to seek the help of the Dragon Knights. Neither Murazel nor Tieru knew with certainty on who hired the assassins, but they believed it was someone who had access to the Conclave, or had informants within Flammschrein. They didn't think it was a Demon plot. Rather, the act of someone with the ambition of sitting on the throne, which would not have been possible had Brendan been confirmed alive. The Dragon Knights had observed all the Dukes and Duchesses of the Holy Falcon Empire. Of them all, there was only one they had confidence could not have been the mastermind behind the attempt. And it was Ivan. While Ivan was upset about the news that Brendan was alive yet wasn't brought home allowing the civil war to rage on, he understood when he saw Brendan himself. Brendan may have been 18 years old but his mind was akin to that of a child, his mid shattered from witnessing his home and whole family massacred by the Demons in front of his young eyes. This Falcon would never rule. Ivan now understood that he must end the war and return the empire to peace. When Ivan returned, Murazel accompanied him to aid him in the war. By that time, while Stefan was facing a losing battle against a reinforced Amilcar, Murazel appeared in Isegrim, Stefan's castle, with an offer. Ivan of Griffin was ready to pardon the Wolf's attack on his lands and strike an alliance against the Bull armies, if Stefan agreed to recognize Ivan's claim to the Falcon throne, all Wolf territories would be returned to their rightful lord. An offer the Wolf soon accepted and together they defeated Amilcar, forcing him to yield. However, as Ivan was about to aid Rowena against Seamus, The Glories of Elrath appeared to all leaders of the empire. The message they were delivering was a simple one: an emperor had been chosen and it was Seamus. Yet his "rule" brought more turmoil as the Stag Emperor was destroying entire villages that displayed sympathies to Ivan or Stefan and while Enguerrand, Amilcar and reluctantly Rowena pledged their allegiance to Seamus, Ivan and Stefan refused. When Ivan resolved to remove Seamus from the throne, Murazel remained at Talonguard as he went to battle at Meadowfair. The battle was a devastating blow to the Griffin Duke as he was defeated by Enguerrand and the blade of the Griffin Family, The Iron Feather, was shattered. Although Ivan survived he lost the will to continue the war, Murazel belived she found a way to aid the Griffin Duke. Later that year, Murazel returned to Talonguard with a man named Bleddyn. He was a Bloodsmith of Hammer Fall, a crafter of enchanted objects. Murazel had asked him to forge a new sword for Ivan, in the hopes of lifting the Duke’s spirits. Bleddyn left a few days later, promising he would be back before the year was done. As the first snowflakes began to fall on Talonguard, Bleddyn returned. Hearing the news, Anastasya, Kente, Tanis and Murazel all gathered to Ivan’s war room, to see the sword he had forged for the Griffin Lord. The sword he forged was The Griffin's Resolve, from that point on, Ivan regained his sense of purpose and recommitted himself to end the war and restore the empire. A Story Told and War's End When Duke Ivan was given an offer from Seamus to end the war by acknowledge Seamus as emperor, Ivan would be named Archduke and would receive the hand of Nolween, daughter of Seamus, Murazel was among those of Ivan's council who suggested that Ivan shouldn't accept the deal. Though Ivan was ready to accept the deal to end the bloodshed, he was willing to hear they're council to change his mind. Murazel told her story of how she came to be known as the Guardian Angel of Hammerfall and of Tomas Wolf. Ivan was puzzled to hear the name Tomas Wolf, as he has learned all the names of the royal duchies but has never heard of Tomas. Murazel told of how Tomas sought to prove himself to his father but only mistakenly attacked the Griffin Duchy and was essentially exiled to Hammerfall to meet with his uncle Konrad Wolf. Over time Tomas found himself a home in Hammerfall and resolved to defend it from the armies of Empress Kyla Falcon, led by Serguei Griffin, his father's rival. Konrad ordered Tomas to defend the city by gaining the allegiance of the native orcs and the secretive blood-smiths led by Murazel. Murazel told Ivan that she advised Tomas to create a Tear of Asha to create a magical barrier to protect the city. Succeeding in both, Tomas faced Sergei in battle and despite the offer of amnesty, he defeated the Griffin Duke and drove the Falcon armies back. Murazel finished her tale with Tomas being regarded as a hero in Hammerfall and growing up to be a member of the bloodsmiths but his name, as well as his uncles, was stricken from all of the Empire's history for defying Empress Kyla, who died that same year. Kyla's successor Conrad III tried to conquer Hammerfall again but failed as well at the hands of the Orc Balashi the Bold and Tomas of Evergrey, a name Ivan recognized. Murazel's story taught Ivan to search in his heart to find what he believed what was right. Murazel heard the stories of the other counselors and after hearing Kente's story, intrigued about those who fought for freedom. However Kente's advice to seek the out Ivan's distant relative Andras Raven, descendant of Sandor, she was skeptical. Andras would agree to aid Ivan in exchange for the Griffin Duchy lands, Murazel was surprised at such a bold offer. Though she questioned to trust the descendant of a bastard, Anastasya believed they could because despite not sharing the same mother, Anastasya and her siblings loved Sandor. Murazel also voiced approval to rename the empire from the Holy Falcon Empire to the Holy Griffin Empire, believing it would clean the slate. After Ivan listened to all of his counselors stories and believed that Seamus must not be allowed to sit upon the throne, he decided to meet with Seamus at the ruins of Falcon's Reach to force him to surrender. Beforehand, Murazel informed Ivan that she convinced the Church of Light to remain neutral until the war is over, depriving Seamus of allies. At the ruins, however to his horror, Seamus sprung a trap by summoning the Dark Elf assassins, the Blades of Erebos, to assassinate his own daughter and frame Ivan for the foul deed. Murazel tended to Nolween and told Ivan that despite what he had witnessed, Nolween still lived but her soul was separated from her body and remains captive. Ivan followed the Blades of Erebos, defeated their leader and returned Nolween's soul to her body. Furious with her father's betrayal, Nolween fully sided with Ivan, proving his innocence to the empire and revealing Seamus as a madman. With the full might of his allies, Ivan laid siege to Horncrest where Ivan defeated the mad Duke of Stag and decreed that Seamus be imprisoned for the rest of his days and one of his daughters be named Duchess of the Stag. With the bitter Ten Years War finally over, Ivan was named Emperor of the newly christened Holy Griffin Empire, with Murazel placing the crown on Ivan. Gameplay Murazel is a Priest. Abilities Appearances Murazel appears in Might & Magic: Heroes VII. Gallery Murazel concept.png|Murazel, concept art Shadow_Council.jpg|Murazel (first from the left) in Shadow Council Murazel.jpg ru:Муразель Category:Heroes VII characters Category:Heroes VII Haven magic heroes